Learning and digital skills

Americas (AMER)

• Train 6.2 million people in Latin America with digital and cybersecurity skills by end of FY32
  • Progress: 2 million people
• Train 200,000 people in the United States with cybersecurity skills by end of FY25; announced at the White House Cyber Workforce and Education Summit
  • Progress: 115,000 people
• Train 100,000 people with digital and cybersecurity skills in partnership with Senac Networking Academy Support Centers in Brazil by end of FY27
  • Progress: 30,000 people

Asia Pacific, Japan, and China (APJC)

• Train 6.7 million people in APJC with digital and cybersecurity skills by end of FY32
  • Progress: 2 million people
• Train 500,000 people in India with cybersecurity skills by end of FY25
  • Progress: 437,000 people
• Train 141,000 people in Malaysia in digital and cybersecurity skills by end of FY32
  • Progress: 57,000 people
• Train 50,000 women annually across Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam through end of FY32; in tandem with the U.S. Department of Commerce initiative to bring free digital upskilling opportunities to women in Indo-Pacific Economic Framework-participating countries
  • Annual goal met: 135,000 women in FY24

New goals starting in FY25

• Provide 100,000 people in Japan with cybersecurity and IT skills training from FY25 to end of FY29
• Train 20,000 people with digital and cybersecurity skills across South Korea from FY25 to end of FY27

Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)

• Train 10 million people in digital and cybersecurity skills across EMEA by end of FY32
  • Progress: 3 million people
• Train 3 million people in Africa by end of FY32, estimated at US$200 million in in-kind contributions
  • Progress: 1 million people and US$64 million in in-kind contributions
• Train 2.6 million people in the European Union (EU) with digital and cybersecurity skills by end of FY32
  • Progress: 890,000 people
• Train 250,000 people in the EU with cybersecurity skills by end of FY25
  • Progress: 244,000 people

We’re proud to have reached over 24 million learners around the world who have participated in Cisco Networking Academy courses since 1997 either directly through our learning platform or through one of our academies. Our emphasis on providing equitable access to education and inclusive workforce development has led to women representing 27% of students since the program began. Additionally, 232,000 students have declared a disability since self-reporting began in fiscal 2019.

1 Unless otherwise noted, goals listed have a base year of fiscal 2023 and progress against all goals is cumulative and measured through end of fiscal 2024.

“This would not have been possible if I had not decided to upskill, and I will always be thankful to Cisco Networking Academy, to my faculties for their guidance, and to EdCreateFoundation.”

-Kishan,
Java Developer and Cisco Networking Academy Alum, West Bengal, India

Academies

Partnerships with governments, academic institutions, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other organizations make the Cisco Networking Academy program possible. We continue to grow this network. Some of our academies support underrepresented communities, including women, rural populations, people with disabilities, veterans, and persons within the justice system. Our ecosystem of partners helps to grow skilled workforces to power a competitive digital economy. To help ensure inclusive access, Cisco Networking Academy’s curriculum and tools are free to eligible education partners.

See more on our global impact.

Instructors

The Instructor Professional Development program is designed to help ensure our instructor community is well-trained on the latest curriculum while being up-to-speed with the most relevant technological advancements in areas such as networking and automation, cybersecurity, AI, data science, and programming. We collect instructor feedback through surveys and advisory boards to help with program direction and enhancements.

1 Based on fiscal 2024 survey responses from instructors who were actively teaching

Teaching and learning platform

In August 2024, Cisco Networking Academy brought together the strengths of our two platforms, netacad.com and skillsforall.com, into one unified teaching and learning experience at netacad.com. Skills for All acted as an innovation space to make engaging, skills-based technology education available to new learners, with a rich blend of innovative, interactive activities, gamified challenges, and hands-on learning. We are building out a next-generation teaching experience, including professional development resources, class management features, and personalized assessment tools as the foundation for the new unified experience.

This unification brings both teaching and learning experiences together in a fresh modern experience designed to scale access to quality education—with mobile-first design and flexibility for the instructor-led, self-paced, and hybrid learning options that are demanded today. At launch, the platform supports five languages: Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.

As part of Cisco’s purpose to Power an Inclusive Future for All, Cisco Networking Academy strives to broaden web accessibility. Our design vision is that all students should be able to access all web content, and we continue to make enhancements on our platforms that align with the standards of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Curriculum

We continue to innovate to keep our skill-to-jobs curriculum relevant as industry needs evolve and learning technology enables new ways to facilitate effective learning.

As a leader in technology, Cisco brings our industry expertise in areas like networking and automation, cybersecurity, data science and AI, and programming to develop high-quality learning backed by learning science. Courses aligned to industry-recognized certifications prepare learners with transferable, vendor-neutral skills. For example, learners get practical experience through leading-edge, remote, and hands-on learning with physical equipment and the powerful network simulation tool Cisco Packet Tracer.

Cisco Networking Academy partners with IT leaders and members of the AI Consortium like IBM SkillsBuild and Intel to offer introductory AI learning content. For example, in fiscal 2024 we introduced four introductory learning offerings, available at no cost for learners and educators, covering topics like generative AI, ethics, the job landscape, the history of AI, and more to build key skills like AI literacy and AI security.

“As a nontraditional student with no background in technology, I was impressed with the hands-on labs and Cisco Packet Tracer. These tools and methods allowed me to see and understand networks at every layer. This, coupled with the security classes, allowed me to grow my interest in cybersecurity and understand how it impacts every part of a functional network.”

– Amanda, Cybersecurity Analyst and
Cisco Networking Academy Alum

Many courses across our learning portfolio feature an AI-powered adaptive assessment tool, My Knowledge Check, to give learners personalized insights into their current comprehension and track their learning progress. This is just the start, and we plan to offer more AI-powered learning offerings and resources in the future.

The program is available to a range of learners—from young adults to lifelong learners—including those pursuing higher education, seeking a new career path, or wanting to gain tech skills. It is delivered through universities, colleges, high schools, NGOs, governments, and directly to learners through our education platform, allowing the program to reach diverse learners in 191 countries. With 4.7 million participants in fiscal 2024 across AMER, APJC, and EMEA, Cisco Networking Academy is making major strides to help address the global technology skills gap. The program is:

“When learners gain the skills they need to earn well-paying jobs in in-demand fields, we can lift families, communities, and society.”

- Par Merat, Vice President of Cisco Networking Academy, Learning & Certifications, and Cisco U.

• Comprehensive. A skills-to-jobs learning experience where learners develop skills they will use in the workplace.
• Accessible. Content is available through instructor-led or free online self-paced courses and through compatible assistive technologies. It’s also currently localized in up to 18 languages worldwide.
• Career-focused. Our curriculum aligns to 19 industry-recognized certifications, designed to develop the skills needed for real job roles. Our Professional Skills courses complement technical training to develop well-rounded, job-ready candidates. Learners can access comprehensive career resources and connect with potential employers through the Cisco Talent Bridge program.
• Proven. Year after year, student surveys show the program provides valuable skills that help them obtain jobs and grow their careers.

Visit netacad.com for more student success stories.

Women Rock-IT

The Women Rock-IT program encourages girls and women to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). It highlights the various opportunities that technology careers can offer, particularly in shaping a young person’s future​​. Established in 2014, the program has reached a global audience of over 2 million people and resulted in the enrollment of more than 1.1 million people in a Cisco Networking Academy course. We celebrated 10 years of the Women Rock-IT program in fiscal 2024.